


The Rules of Dating

by fundamental_romantic (ccx_15)



Category: Queen B (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Fake Dating, Kinda AU?, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:27:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28819239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccx_15/pseuds/fundamental_romantic
Summary: Here’s a combo fic Veronica x Mc (Lexa) and Mc x Poppy from Queen B 🐝. It was supposed to be a one shot, but I got a little carried away
Relationships: Poppy Min-Sinclair/Main Character (Queen B), Veronica Lombardi & Main Character (Queen B)
Kudos: 5





	1. Rule #1

Between the sensual music and the couples pairing off on the dance floor, the energy was making it hard for Lexa to enjoy herself that night. She kept trying to tell herself it was just another college party, but is it really so simple when Poppy Min-Sinclair is involved?

“Farmsville, you’re in my shot!”

“Huh?”

Veronica rolls her eyes as she lowers her phone. “I said I need you to move. The strobe patterns from the disco lights are perfect B-roll for my design class.”

“Oh, sorry. I must’ve spaced out for a second.”

Veronica stares at her phone for a moment, types out a short reply, then looks up. She chews on her lip and looks around to see if anyone in particular was watching their interaction. Satisfied that no one was, she grabs Lexa by the wrist and away from the crowd.

“Hey!” Lexa starts in protest.

Veronica pulls her into a closet before anyone notices.

“What are you doing?!” They both blink as their eyes adjust to Veronica’s phone light, illuminating the darkness.

“Relax, Farmsville. I’m going to help you out.

“Me?” Lexa asks incredulously. “How could _you_ possibly help _me_ out? We have nothing in common. We aren’t friends, and you know nothing about me.”

“Shhhh,” Veronica says with a smirk, and places a finger on Lexa’s lips. “I know how to get you exactly what you want.”

“And what do I want?” Lexa crosses her arms over her chest. _This is ridiculous._

“Poppy.”

Lexa could have denied it. Hells, she probably should have, but she was just so tired of not getting what she wants in life. So instead she just starts word vomiting.

“I know we come from two completely different upbringings, and most of the time we are tearing each other apart, and I sometimes hate her guts and and-”

“Hey, hold up a minute.” Veronica stops her before she can embarrass herself any further. “I get it. You have a crush on her. I understand. She is my friend, you know. Beneath all the demands and bitchiness, she’s supportive and protective, and a little bit soft. But don’t tell her I told you that!”

Lexa nods, taken aback by the fact that Veronica actually has some depth to her. “So, you’re going to help me get Poppy to be my girlfriend?”

“Hah! You’re funny, Farmsville! Hell no! I’ll help you get noticed by her, enough that she’ll ask you out. If you ask her, she drop you faster than you can run in your crocs in sport mode.”

_I’ll ignore that last comment._ “And what do you get out of this?” Lexa definitely had cause to be suspicious. What if this was just a crazy ploy to make her the laughing stock of the school yet again?

“Well,” Veronica starts, as she pulls up a few different pages on her phone, “my follower count has been steady lately. The projected rankings of the next few weeks are expected to skyrocket in your favor. Your presence could benefit my livestreams and photoshoots.”

“Ok, that makes sense.” Lexa nods as she follows along. “So, what’s the plan?”

Veronica suddenly shifts her weight to reach for the light switch. “We’re going to make Poppy jealous.”

“Jealous?” Lexa asks confused as she rubs her eyes.

“Yup,” she grins wickedly. “Congratulations newbie, you’re my new girlfriend.”


	2. Rule #1 cont'd

_Girlfriend? Veronica? No. Freaking Way. Sure she’s pretty, and good with a camera, but that’s where it ends._

“No way. Not gonna happen.” Lexa places her hand on the door knob. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m out.”

Veronica shrugs. “It’s your loss. You can kiss Poppy good-bye. Oh, wait. I guess you can’t.” She shifts onto one leg and starts scrolling through her phone, not caring that she’s still in the closet.

Lexa taps her foot in frustration and gives in. What the heart wants, the heart gets. “Fine, but I make the rules. Rule number one: you can’t call me Farmsville anymore. That’s not realistic if we’re dating anyway.”

“You got it, Hughes.” Veronica winks. “Now come here. Step one is to make it official.”

Veronica pulls Lexa close for a selfie. “Now smile.” Lexa smiles, and as Veronica goes to snap the picture, she gives Lexa a small peck on the cheek.

“Oh!” Veronica pulls away to edit before Lexa can even process what just happened. She holds a palm to her cheek and just stares at Veronica.

“Voila!” Veronica says as she shows her the finished photo. Normally, Lexa is not a fan of being in photos, but this one is kind of perfect. The lighting is amazing, there are little hearts floating above their heads, Veronica’s hair looks gorgeous, and the little shocked face Lexa is making is definitely the definition of candid. The caption reads “My girl ♡ #go get your own."

“No way! Already 12,000 likes. Sick!”

Lexa sits on the ground with her head between her knees. “Wow, this is really happening.”

“You good, newbie?”

Lexa takes a deep breath before looking up. Veronica is on her knees, brown eyes staring right back. She places her hands on Lexa’s knees.

“You can do this. You’ve faced worse things before. You’ve faced off against Poppy twice now.”

Lexa chuckles. “I guess you’re right.”

*Ping-ping*

“Another four thousand likes! Cassandra Leigh just commented on it. She wants to know if I can fly to L.A. next weekend.”

Lexa sighs. _Maybe she checks her phone as a way to cope with nerves or intense situations._ She shrugs and gets up to leave. “See you in class.”

“Wait, we should leave together. Make it look like we are actually official.”

“Sure.”

Veronica opens the door and steps out, but Lexa pulls her back. Veronica gives her a questioning glance. “You should hold my hand. I think new couples do that a lot.”

Veronica scrunches her face in reply. “Do I have to?”

“You came up with the plan in the first place!”

“Fine, but only until Poppy sees us.”

Lexa smirks as they step out of the closet. “I thought I make the rules in this relationship.”

“Oh, honey,” she replies in a sultry tone, “not even in your wildest dreams.”

And then what Veronica does next shocks Lexa even more than the ‘kiss.’ Veronica boops her on the nose, like an actual boop! Followed by a real laugh, not even forced or anything, and struts away, towing her by the arm onto the dance floor.

Lexa is too in a daze to notice all the whispers and murmurs of the crowd as they make their way to the door. She only realizes Veronica is talking to her when she feels a nudge that directs her attention at Poppy. It’s nothing more than an irritated glance, but still she’s looking so the plan must be working.

“…you my schedule for the week starting tomorrow. Make sure you’re prepared to be in livestreams and photos. Wear whatever you want, but look hot. You got all that Hughes?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah, all good. I’ll be there.”

“Ok, well, see you tomorrow. I need to go talk to Poppy.” Veronica sighs, already back on her phone.

“Hey, wait.” Lexa rushes to stop Veronica from shutting the door. “You call me Hughes all the time. Can I call you something else?”

Veronica gives her a small smile. “You can call me ‘V.’” Lexa nods and backs away as the door shuts with a soft click.

~~~

Veronica barely makes it two steps from the door when Poppy and Chloe descend on her.

“What on Earth were you thinking, V?” Poppy is practically seething as she stares down Veronica, despite being several inches shorter than her friend. “How dare you date the enemy!”

“Chill, Poppy. Hughes is cool. I like her and she’s mine. So back off.” Veronica says this casually, but her stance takes on a slightly aggressive form.

Neither girl notices at the time. Chloe silently watches from the sidelines. If she had to take sides, she would always choose Poppy, but to be quite honest, she kinda thinks V and Farmsville look amazing together.

Poppy chews on her lip. She knows Veronica can be extremely stubborn when she wants something. That is why she picked her to be in her squad. “Ugh, fine! But, I don’t want to see her anywhere near the Zeta house. She’s a bad influence on the girls.”

“You got it boss.” Veronica smiles and gives a lazy salute. “See ya around Chloe.”


	3. Rule #2

The next week pretty much consisted of Lexa accompanying Veronica to a bunch of high-profile events. Shake hands with so-and-so. Smile to the left. Live stream starts in ten. Oh, and the worst part was definitely the lack of junk food. Apparently when you want to have clear skin and rep shiny hair products in public, you shouldn’t be seen with potato chips or skittles in your teeth.

After the twelfth different photo that evening, Lexa groaned. “Veronica, can we take a break now?”

“Well, ok. I think we are done for the night anyway.” She begins packing up her camera and tripod.

“Finally!” Lexa plops into the nearest chair. “Thank the gods!”

“Gods?” Veronica quirks a brow.

“Uh, the snack gods, duh? I’m starving! These events are a lot of work. How do you even keep on top of your school work and sorority stuff?”

Veronica stops what she’s doing to turn to Lexa. “Oh, I excel at being on top.”

Lexa just shakes her head. “I should have seen that one coming. Hey, since I have your attention…” Veronica turns back to packing. “And I lost her. Hey! Pay attention. Rule number two!”

That got her attention. “You keep dragging me to all these events, but I need time to do homework. Write papers, study for exams, that sort of thing.”

“Sure,” Veronica agrees, “we can head over right now if you want. Hanging around the sorority will definitely make Poppy see you. You can hang in my room. And…we have snacks.” She grins at that last part.

~~~

Veronica opens the door to the Zeta house and allows Lexa to enter first. She’s so busy looking between her phone and Lexa that she doesn’t even notice how close she was to walking into the doorframe. Lexa happened to pull her out of the way just in time.

“Whoops! My bad.”

“Does that happen a lot?” Lexa questions.

“Not nearly as often as you might think.” Veronica says, brushing off her concern. She walks to the staircase. “Thanks for the save, Hughes. Kitchen is on your right. I’ll meet you upstairs, sixth door on your left. Grab me a drink and a granola bar. Take as much food as you’d like.”

Lexa nods and shuffles into the kitchen, her stomach leading the way.

“Hmmm, where do these girls hide the good stuff?” Lexa mutters. She’s rummaging through the cabinets, trying to find any and all types of delicious junk food. Little does she know, Poppy just happens to be passing by in the hallway.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Poppy shouts from the hall. “How many times have I told you girls to shut the lights when you’re done in the kitchen.” She stops short at the sight of Lexa shoving a granola bar in her mouth while opening the fridge.

“Ugh, why are you here?”

Lexa swallows hard before answering. “Study date with Veronica.”

“Veronica doesn’t study.” Poppy crosses her arms over her chest. “Now why are you here?”

 _Uh-oh, busted. Think Lexa, think. Don’t panic._ “Do I really need a reason to just spend time with my girlfriend?”

She grabs two water bottles and shuts the fridge. Then, she walks right up to her until they are face to face. Inches apart, Lexa smirks and leans forward.

“Get used to it Poppy.”

Poppy inhales, unsure of what is about to happen. The lights flick out and Lexa chuckles. She walks out, leaving Poppy to grumble in the dark.

~~~

“V, catch!” Lexa tosses a water at Veronica after shutting the door and leans against it with a heavy sigh. She glances around in wonder, never having been invited into Veronica’s personal space before.

“Thanks. You can take the desk. I already finished my work for the week.” Veronica rolls onto her back, hands hovering above her face to scroll through her phone.

Lexa lugs her backpack onto the table as she gazes around. The room definitely fits Veronica’s color and fashion aesthetic, but upon closer inspection, there is more than meets the eye.

Intrigued, she begins walking toward the bookshelf in the corner. “Hey, how is it that you never have to study? And no one ever sees you doing any homework?” Lexa begins inspecting the books. _Photography, Video editing, Languages and coding, History 101, Hacking the World on a Whim… wait hacking?_

“Oh, I just pay what’s her face for the answers and to do it for me.” Veronica doesn’t even look away from her screen.

Lexa narrows her eyes and walks back to the desk to get out her laptop. “V?”

“Hmmm?”

“Can you help me with this homework problem from chemistry? I’ll read it out to you.”

“Well I probably can’t help since I barely passed that class anyway, but I’ll try my best.”

Lexa watches her closely as she begins. “Ok, here it is. I’m having trouble understanding what avocado’s number is. Like what is one guacamole equal to?”

“Oh, come on Hughes!” She groans and rolls over. “That’s so simple. It’s equal to 6.02214*10^23 guacas. How could you not know that!?”

“Hah!” Lexa shouts and jumps out of the chair, pointing at Veronica. She starts laughing hysterically.

“What the hell is going on?” Veronica sits up, looking at Lexa like she has three heads.

“I caught you! This is pure gold. Everyone knows you as the Meme Queen, but I figured out your secret. You. Are. A. Nerd.”

Veronica looks horrified. She shakes her head. “No, I’m not.” A blush begins to creep up her neck and she quickly hides her face in a pillow.

“You don’t pay anyone to do your work. You’re just super smart and know your way around a keyboard.” Lexa sits back down with a smug look on her face. “Do Poppy and the girls know?”

Veronica lowers the pillow and bites her lip, debating whether or not to out herself. “No, no one knows. You’d be the first to figure it out.”

Lexa smiles. “Welcome to the club.” And she turns around to start an essay, leaving Veronica to stare at her back.

The next few hours pass by quickly. In between homework and a beauty tutorial marathon, Lexa and Veronica swapped memes for the better part of an hour. They finally settled into a comfortable silence while Lexa finished up grading papers.

Veronica cracked her back after reading the latest update of The T and checked the time. 3:37 a.m. She’s just about to suggest Hughes get on home when she looks over to see her face down at the desk. With a chuckle, she gets up to place a blanket over her before hitting the lights and climbing into bed.

*Bang Bang Bang*

The next morning has Lexa and Veronica jolting awake to the sound of someone hammering at the door.

“Hey morons!”

“Oh no!” Lexa whispers as much as she can while in her panicked state. “It’s Poppy.”


	4. Rule #3

“What are we going to do?” whispered Lexa. “Poppy knows I’m here. She saw me in the kitchen last night.” She starts pacing as the knocking gets louder.

“I know you’re in there. Open up, Veronica!”

“I’m wearing the same clothes! She’s gonna know something’s up.” Lexa is full out panicking now.

“Here,” Veronica says as she tosses a sweatshirt at Lexa. “Put this on and get in.”

Veronica pulls the covers aside roughly and fluffs the pillows to make them looked slept in. “Are you sure?” Lexa sticks one arm through hesitantly while waiting for an answer.

Veronica nods and waves her on hurriedly. Lexa doesn’t waste another second.

“I’m coming in! You two better not be naked or I’ll post it all over The T.”

Lexa’s head gets stuck as she is pulling it through the sweatshirt, and she trips while climbing over Veronica and falls right into her lap. The knob turns.

“Oof!” Veronica huffs in surprise.

Lexa rights herself and scrambles under the sheets. The door cracks open.

Veronica awkwardly throws her arm around Lexa. Poppy steps in.

Lexa self-consciously snuggles closer.

“Wow, could you two be any more disgusting?” Poppy says as she saunters through the door. “I mean really, where’s the hot sex and steamy make-out sessions? This is just pathetic.”

Lexa snorts and sits up. “Puh-lease. As if we’d let you sit in and watch. Unless that would be something you’re interested in?” She smirks. Veronica hides her smile behind a cough.

“Ugh, whatever.” Poppy rolls her eyes. “Veronica, are we getting lunch today or what?”

Veronica looks confused. “Uh, I already texted my answer last night. We’re going after your Anthro class.”

“Oh. Right.” She studiously avoids eye contact and pulls out a file. “Hey newbie. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for our Anthropology class? It starts in like fifteen minutes.”

_Um, in what planet is Poppy Min-Sinclair worried I’ll be late for class? And she didn’t refer to me as Farmsville._

“Uh, yeah, it only takes me ten to get ready anyway.” She nods, a bit dazed.

Poppy groans. “Veronica, why can’t you date someone with at least an ounce of fashion sense in them?”

“How about you get going Poppy and I’ll fix her up.” Veronica winks, although who the wink is for, hard to tell.

“Remember! Lunch!” She holds up two fingers. “Two hours.” Poppy turns and slams the door shut.

Lexa and Veronica face each other. And burst out laughing.

“Why are you laughing?” Veronica asked. She was clutching her stomach.

“Did you see when she came in? She had one eye closed incase we were actually naked! And I crushed you! Why are you laughing?” Lexa asks between the tears.

“Are you joking? You look ridiculous! And you put my sweatshirt on backwards.”

They dissolve into another fit of giggles before collapsing onto the pillows.

“She’s right though. I do need to get to class.”

Veronica purses her lips. “Rule number three.”

“Wait a minute! Only I get to make the rules!”

“Let me make this one. I promise this one will benefit you. Poppy will love it.”

Lexa nods for her to continue.

Veronica walks into her closet and flicks on the light. “Poppy’s right. It’s time to give you a make-over.”

~~~

“Woah,” Lexa says, running her hands over the multiple fabrics and textures in Veronica’s closet. Is she in an upscale mall? “This is incredible. How do you even know what to pick?”

Veronica smiles. “Practice.” She starts combing through the racks and pulls out a sleek black and purple outfit. “Here, try this. I hit another growth spurt last year so it doesn’t fit me anymore, but I couldn’t bear to part with it.”

Lexa slips it on and pairs the ‘new’ outfit with stylized sneakers and her usual hairstyle to not feel too out of her comfort zone. “Wow, V, it’s gorgeous! You really think Poppy will notice?” the excitement in her voice rising.

“Girl, everyone will notice. Now get going so you can be fashionably late. Maybe she even saved you a seat, considering she already checked on you once today.” Veronica chuckled.

“Thanks, V!” Lexa grabs her bag and gives Veronica a quick hug. “You’re the best!”

She flips her hair over her shoulder and sighs dramatically. “I know.”

Lexa reaches behind her on the way out to shut the door. _Mmmm, smells like lemon and lavender. Must be fruit trees out back._ Lexa shrugs and hurries down the stairs, eager to get to class.

On the other side of the door, Veronica busies herself getting ready. “And for the final touch…done!” She sets down a perfume bottle. Floris 1976 eau de parfum.


	5. Rule #2½

You know the feeling where you’re totally paranoid after climbing a flight of stairs because you think everyone can hear you trying to catch your breath? C’mon, you know…the one where you’re wheezing like a fog horn because you haven’t done any sort of exercise besides reach for another handful of popcorn while watching the latest episode of Witness: A Bodyguard Romance? Yeah, that one. Well, Lexa would literally give anything to do that one hundred times over to avoid whatever _this_ is.

Veronica was right. Lexa definitely arrived to her Anthropology class late and when she went to open the door, Professor Kingsley stopped mid-sentence and turned to her.

“So glad you could join us, Ms. Hughes,” he says gruffly, the irritation written plainly on his face.

Lexa turned to face the rest of the class. All eyes were on her. Not exactly what she was hoping for. She only wanted one brown pair of eyes that belonged to the girl sitting in the eighth row. Poppy was staring at her, looking disinterested. Lexa stared back.

“Ahem.” Lexa blinked and turned backed to Professor Kingsley. “May I continue?”

Heat begins creeping up her neck while she stammers out a reply. “Sorry, Professor Kingsley.” She turns her head to find a seat and notices two things. The first is that quite a few students are snickering at her now. The second is that Veronica was right again. The only seat available was right next to Poppy.

Lexa hurries over to the empty seat, not bothering to even take out her laptop, afraid to cause any more disruptions. She shoves her bag under her seat, feeling her shirt ride up at the waist. Poppy stiffens besides her.

The lecture continues on and Lexa tries to keep her eyes forward, but her mind keeps wandering. Her inner thoughts are having a major battle about the beauty sitting beside her. _Is it just a stupid crush? Why do I even have a crush on Poppy? She’s a horrible person! Mean, bossy, rude, selfish. I mean I could find someone so much better, couldn’t I? Maybe I just want to prove to myself that I can get someone as good (bad?) as her._

While Lexa is debating her life choices, the ticking of the clock in the room is interrupted by a weird grinding noise. She looks to her left. Poppy is facing forward and her back is ramrod straight.

Lexa furrows her brows. “Poppy, are- are you grinding your teeth?”

“Ms. Hughes!” A booming voice echoes through the auditorium. Lexa jumps, disappointed for letting herself get distracted again. “Do you have an opinion on the intricacies of social hierarchies, particularly how they affect the interactions of students at Belvoire?”

“Uh, they tend to bring people together. Not always in the most beneficial ways, but still I think they cannot be avoided, which is why people who are able to see that use it to their advantage to get ahead early on.” She’s not sure if this had anything to do with the lecture, but hopefully it at least made some sense.

Professor Kingsley licks his lips. “Satisfactory. Moving on.” He begins to drone on about the next topic in his slideshow, oblivious to Lexa’s relieved exhale, as well as a couple of groans from other students.

For the rest of class, Lexa has the feeling of eyes on her. When she finally takes a chance to look, out of the corner of her eye, Poppy is staring intensely at her.

Lexa turns toward her for the second time right as class is dismissed. Poppy gives her an inscrutable look before hurrying off in the other direction. She was the first one out of the room, which isn’t anything unusual, but still. No name-calling or insults. She didn’t dump any drinks on her. Nothing. Was it the outfit?

*Ping*

Lexa’s phone sounded with a text from Veronica.

*Meet l8r. Poppy’s actin weird. Need the deets.*

Lexa sent back a quick reply answering when and where before grabbing a quick bite to eat with Zoey.

~~~

“No way!” Veronica squealed. “She didn’t! I knew she was gonna love your outfit. I don’t believe you. But I totally do.” She laughed. “This is too good. I gotta tell Chloe right now.” She flops on her bed and begins typing rapidly on her phone.

“No!” Lexa shouts and reaches for it. “You can’t. That would definitely embarrass her. And then she’ll hate me.”

Veronica dances out of reach with her phone, the height difference giving her a slight advantage. “Well, she kinda already does, but hey, you two can be like the enemies-to-lovers trope that everyone ships. People love that type of stuff.” She winks.

Lexa crosses her arms. “Whatever, but you still can’t tell anyone.”

Veronica marches right up to her and stares down defiantly into Lexa’s green eyes. “Why don’t you make me?” She arches a brow.

Lexa leans in. She likes a good challenge. She’s not one to back down. Veronica inhales softly. Lexa leans in a little further, gets up on her tiptoes and snatches V’s phone.

“Hah!” She jumps away and runs around to the other side of the bed. She waves the phone in the air while Veronica just stands there, shocked.

After a moment, Veronica calls out, “Brat!”

“Tease,” Lexa calls back.

Veronica sticks out her tongue.

“Ok, back to business,” Lexa says, phone still in her hand. “Rule number three.”

“Woah, wait a minute. I already made a three. And can I have my phone back?” Veronica puts a hand on her hip.

“Not yet.” Lexa chides. “And fine. Rule number two and a half.”

“Why not four?”

“Just go with it!”

“Ok, jeez!”

“As I was saying. Rule number two and a half: Have fun. That means tomorrow you get to come with me to the school carnival.”

“Ooh,” Veronica says, visibly excited.

“Without your phone.”

“I object.”

Lexa laughs. “You agree or I out you as a nerd. Take your pick.”

Veronica narrows her eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

With a shrug, Lexa tosses V her phone. “I’ll pick you up at six, then.”


	6. Rule #4?

The carnival was already in full swing when Lexa and Veronica arrived. The smell of cotton candy and popcorn filled the air. Flashing lights from the Ferris wheel flickered off the classic red-and-white tents all over the quad. A game calls out “Winner!” in the distance as bells and whistles sound. The girls walk over to meet a group of Lexa’s friends chatting at the snack stand.

“Ooh!” Veronica exclaimed. “This is perfect. I need to get a picture!”

“Give it here.” Lexa put on her best puppy pout, not in the mood to wrestle the phone out of Veronica’s hands.

“Ugh, fine.” Veronica exhaled sharply and handed her phone over.

“Nice one, girl!” Zoey chimes in, giving Lexa a high-five.

“Hey, Zoey? We’re going to check out some games. Think you can hold onto this?” Lexa winks and tosses her Veronica’s phone.

Veronica’s mouth moves and no words come out. Zoey smirks. “I’ll take good care of it. You ladies have a lovely date now!”

Lexa begins to drag Veronica away while Zoey lazily waves at them. Zoey hears a faint “Not a scratch on it!” before chuckling and turning back to the group.

~~~

“So, what do you want to do first?” Lexa asks as they start walking away from the group.

“Um, I don’t know. Whatever.” Veronica shrugs.

Lexa stops walking and studies her a moment. “What, you’ve never been to a carnival before?”

Veronica just shakes her head. All her enthusiasm from the night before was nowhere to be found.

_Maybe there’s something to the whole phone as a coping mechanism for anxiety thing?_

Lexa keeps this thought in mind as she makes a suggestion. “Well, how about I show you all the best parts of a carnival then?” She puts extra effort into making herself sound excited.

Veronica agrees and they begin walking again, but she still looks slightly uneasy. She keeps fidgeting and chewing on her lip.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m good.” Veronica nods. “You?”

Lexa nods back. “Hey,” she adds, seizing the opportunity, “we should probably hold hands. Just in case anyone happens to notice us and snaps a picture.”

“Good idea.” Veronica answered in a relaxed manner, but the death grip she gave Lexa said otherwise. Lexa just smiled and led her to the first of many attractions that night.

~~~

“Wow, why does this taste so good?” Veronica was finishing off the rest of a soft pretzel while she and Lexa sat on a bench out of the way from the crowds.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never tried one of these.” Lexa was laughing so hard her sides hurt from all the jokes Veronica had made during the night. After playing ring toss, racing go-karts, and throwing darts at water balloons, Veronica had relaxed enough to feel comfortable around Lexa without her crutch.

Veronica licked the butter off her fingers, for once completely oblivious to what she was doing. Lexa’s attention was drawn to the action for a moment before she pulled her gaze away to the sound of laughter coming from the carousel. Time seemed to slow. She was happy, in the moment, just enjoying it.

“Thank you for inviting me, Hughes. I know this isn’t a real date, but I still had fun.” She gave Lexa a genuine smile. “Perhaps the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

Lexa turned toward Veronica and smiled back. “You’re welcome. I had fun too.” 

Lexa swallowed as she noticed the hints of lemon. She had never been that close to Veronica before when she had on her perfume.

“Woah…” _Were Veronica’s eyelashes always so long?_

Her next inhale had both of them leaning in. One more inch and they would be kissing. But they won’t. Because one of them pulls away. And neither one of them knows who pulls away first.

~~~

Poppy storms her way through the carnival, determined to find Veronica and Lexa. She knows they are here and she needs to find them. She can’t have her friend sleeping with the enemy. That’s the only reason she’s here. That’s it. That’s what she told Chloe anyway. And maybe she’ll ask Lexa about where she got her outfit. Maybe.

She’s about to turn the corner when she hears someone that sounds vaguely like Veronica clear her throat.

“So…”

Poppy leans in to eavesdrop.

“I uh…” Lexa.

Poppy takes out her phone to record the voices, but remains where she is.

“V, that was a mistake. This is all a mistake!” Lexa stands up, trying to take a step back from her emotions. “The fake dates. It’s too much!”

Poppy drops her phone and steps out of the shadows.

“Lexa, wait-” Veronica tries to keep the hurt from creeping into her voice.

“Rule number fo-”

“Well, well, well,” Poppy says. She emerges clapping, having wiped all previous shock from her face. “You two had me fooled for a while.”

Lexa and Veronica both turn to the sound of clapping. Lexa groans and shuts her eyes, knowing there’s no getting out of it this time.

Veronica gets comfortable, knowing it’s time for Poppy to make her famous villain monologue now.

“I can hardly believe it!” Poppy begins.

“Get comfy,” Veronica whispers to Lexa. She answers with an elbow to the ribs.

“My best friend. No, excuse me. Former best friend and enemy in cahoots against me. For what you may ask? To dethrone the Queen. Well jokes on you, bitches because I caught you. Now bow to me or I post your fake relationship to The T.”

“Hm,” Veronica shrugs. “I thought that would be longer.”

“Are you deaf?” Poppy almost shouts.

“Ugh, you tell her Hughes. I just want my phone back.” Veronica lounges on the bench, clearly uninterested in the repercussions of Poppy’s influence.

Lexa squares her shoulders and approaches Poppy. Some of the fight leaves her as she realizes she is about to admit to her crush that she likes her.

“This whole ‘scheme’ isn’t to knock you off your throne Poppy. It’s to get you to notice me. For your information, _I_ like _you_. V agreed to help me get your attention. I have a crush on you.”

During this confession, a million emotions fly across Poppy’s face. At the end of Lexa’s confession, she decides to settle with looking smug.

“Well why didn’t you just say so.” Poppy pulls Lexa in by the shirt and kisses her hard. She trails her hands down until she is pulling at Lexa’s hips. After the shock wears off, Lexa begins to kiss her back. Right as she does so, Poppy pulls away.

“Not so fast, love.” Poppy gives Lexa a smile. “Before I came over here, you were gonna lock lips with her.” Poppy jerks her head at Veronica, who happened to not be enjoying the little scene that had just played out in front of her.

“So,” Poppy continued and walked over to where Veronica was now standing, “who’s it gonna be?”

Both girls stood with their arms crossed, waiting to hear who would be crowned the queen.


	7. New Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Poppy's Finale...  
> NSFW. you can skip this chapter if you don't want to read the NSFW stuff: Next chapter is just if Lexa chose Veronica instead of Poppy.

Well…Lexa was standing before two incredibly attractive women in the middle of a college carnival with a huge decision to make. She couldn’t even believe two people were in lov– _woahh. Stop! Brain. Hold up a sec. Love? No. no no. NO. Don’t say things like that. They probably just want a hook up. Anyway…_ So back to that really important question.

Yeah. Right. Let’s back up a bit. So, Poppy was saying…

“Who’s it gonna be?”

“Wuhh?” Lexa stammered, clearly off guard with the question. “You want me to pick right now?”

“Ughh!” Poppy groaned, “I don’t have time for this!” She stalked off quickly around the corner in irritation.

Lexa pressed her lips together and shoved her hands in her pockets. “V, I-”

Veronica shook her head. “Save it, Lexa. Just go after her. I know her and she definitely likes you too, even if she doesn’t want to show it.”

“Ok, thank you, V. For everything.” Lexa put a hand on Veronica’s arm. “And Veronica? I’m sorry.”

Veronica glanced at Lexa, gaze impassive. She gave her a nod and turned to search for Zoey and her phone.

~~~

Lexa only watched Veronica for a few paces before she spun around to dart after Poppy. She turned the corner at full speed and collided into the Queen herself. They both tumbled into a prize tent filled with stuffed animals and plastic trophies.

“Oomph!” Poppy went down hard with Lexa right on top of her. “What the hell, potato head?!?”

Wide-eyed, Lexa just starts laughing.

“What are you laughing at? And get off of me!” Poppy is shrieking like a banshee, but she cracks a smile.

Lexa helps her up as she answers. “I hit you so hard, that your insult game got whacked.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.” Poppy rolls her eyes and then examines her outfit.

“Why were you standing right around the corner? I thought you were leaving.” Lexa starts picking through the stuffed animals, avoiding Poppy’s gaze.

Poppy crosses her arms. “Why were you running after me?”

Lexa looks up. She is getting really tired of this back and forth. “Why won’t you answer the question?”

Poppy takes two steps up to Lexa and challenges her, brow raised. “Why don’t you make me?”

The intensity in Poppy’s gaze alone was enough to set the tent on fire. Lexa wanted her, but how could she really be sure Poppy wanted her back? They were fire and ice. They come together and it’s pure destruction. The school knows it. Their friends know it. She knows it.

But both fire and ice exist. And who is to say which is stronger? Both bite. Both will burn.

Lexa’s pulse quickens. “I-is that what you want?” Beneath her blush, she does, but she needs to hear it first. Poppy’s mixed signals are too much.

Some of the intensity leaves Poppy’s eyes to make room for a vulnerability she rarely lets anyone see. “Yes.” Firm. Unquestionable. Sure.

Lexa smiles and leans in. She goes right for Poppy’s lips. She’s dreamed about it for too long now. Poppy tastes like vanilla, her lips are smooth. The effects are dizzying. Lexa almost forgets where she is. Poppy kisses her back, hard enough to push her into the pile of plush toys.

Poppy begins trailing kisses along Lexa’s jaw, then her neck, collar. She begins nipping at her ear. Lexa hums out a sigh. Suddenly, she uses her strength to flip Poppy under her.

Poppy huffs out a reply. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Hughes.”

Lexa eases Poppy out of her shirt. She draws kisses down Poppy’s chest and stomach, drawing a small gasp from the girl. As Lexa’s mouth gets lower, Poppy’s breathing becomes unsteady. Lexa lifts her head to lock eyes with Poppy.

“I need you up here.” She mutters, before pulling Lexa up by the hair and into another wet kiss.

Lexa took this opportunity to place her thigh right up to Poppy’s core. She could feel the heat as Poppy tried to steadily grind on her. Poppy’s hands tightened in Lexa’s hair as she arched into her. Her pace sped up and she moaned into Lexa’s neck.

Lexa put her finger on Poppy’s lip, prompting her to suck before gently sliding her hand inside Poppy’s waistband. She began rubbing Poppy’s clit, circling quickly to match her pace. Lexa could feel herself start to tremble in anticipation at the ache between her own legs, but she was determined to care for Poppy first.

“Hughes, I’m so close.”

“I got you,” Lexa whispered. She continued her pace as Poppy reached her peak. Poppy groaned in relief and sagged into Lexa’s arms.

Lexa continued to give Poppy soft, slow kisses until Poppy gained enough sense to talk again.

“Mmm, that was…nice.”

Lexa laughs. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

Poppy smirks as she answers. “Later when we aren’t surrounded in this filth, I’ll show you how to actually have a good time.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lexa rolls on top of Poppy, putting all her weight on her.

“What are you doing? We need to leave. I don’t want anyone seeing me in this shack. My ranking needs to stay at number one.” Poppy struggled, but it was useless. She couldn’t move from underneath Lexa’s muscular figure.

“Not until you tell me why you where hiding over here.” She had Poppy pinned. She wasn’t getting out of this.

“I was not hiding!”

Poppy struggled.

Lexa didn’t budge.

“Ugh, fine.” Poppy crossed her arms. Or awkwardly half hugged Lexa? Since she was still pinned, it was hard to properly move. Anyway, the point is, she was still stuck.

“I wanted to see who you would choose.” She set her jaw.

“And…?”

“I wanted you to choose me. With no audience or cameras around. I wanted someone to pick me for me. Not for all the added status and attention they get that comes with it. So, when I asked you to choose, I wanted to see who you would pick. Not me or Veronica. Your choice was me or every other fake anonymous hypocrite on campus.” This admission made Poppy look as though she were about to cry.

Lexa pulled her in for a hug. “Well, Ms. Min-Sinclair. I choose you.“


	8. Queen V

Well…Lexa was standing before two incredibly attractive women in the middle of a college carnival with a huge decision to make. She couldn’t even believe two people were in lov– _woahh. Stop! Brain. Hold up a sec. Love? No. no no. NO. Don’t say things like that. They probably just want a hook up. Anyway…_ So back to that really important question.

Yeah. Right. Let’s back up a bit. So, Poppy was saying…

“Who’s it gonna be?”

“Wuhh?” Lexa stammered, clearly off guard with the question. “You want me to pick right now?”

“Ughh!” Poppy groaned, “I don’t have time for this!” She stalked off around the corner in irritation.

After collecting her thoughts, Lexa pressed her lips together and shoved her hands in her pockets. “V, I-”

Veronica shook her head. “Save it, Lexa. Just go after her.”

She held in what she really wanted to say. Feelings are too complicated. That’s why she usually just sticks to vlogging and livestreams and when bored…the occasional hook up. Veronica doesn’t _do_ drama. Break ups are messy. Relationships take effort. And the L- word. Ugh, don’t even make her think it. But, no biggie. Everything’s all chill. Right?

“I can’t,” Lexa said. She took a hesitant step toward Veronica’s subtly tense form.

“Why not?” The confusion was clear on Veronica’s face as Lexa reached up to smooth the crinkle in her forehead.

“Because, silly,” Lexa continued as she slowly intertwined their fingers together, “I didn’t get to tell you rule number four.”

Veronica pulled her hands away. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about. Poppy is getting away right now, and you’re still talking about a game!” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I know exactly what I’m doing and I’m not finished yet!” Lexa crossed her arms and began tapping her foot.

Veronica rolled her eyes and motioned to continued, but smiled.

“As I was saying,” Lexa said, then paused to see if there would be any more interruptions. “Rule number four: kiss me.”

Now, it’s quite hard to stun someone as playful and outgoing as Veronica speechless, but in this case, she couldn’t even string a few words together.

“I-uh,” Veronica tried. Some other audible, incoherent mess came out after. “Wha?”

Lexa blushed. Did she read the whole situation wrong? Well, she made her choice, better get the rest out now anyway.

She cleared her throat. “Veronica, when you offered to help me get Poppy’s attention, we were basically business partners. As time passed and the plan began working, I felt myself crushing harder every day. I began noticing the colors that look great on her. I love the sound of her laugh, the scent of her perfume. My heart flutters when I walk into class knowing that she’ll be there. I even notice the little things, like how she hates cherries, but loves cherry lip gloss.”

Heat crept up Lexa’s neck and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Wait a sec. Poppy doesn’t even wear- _ohh_. But how do you even know I hate cherries? I never told anyone that.”

Lexa shrugged, but her gaze was still downturned. Veronica still didn’t say anything about the new rule. Perhaps she thought of her as just a friend after all. But, that’s ok, Lexa could live with that. She finally looked up at Veronica.

“But what about your crush on Poppy?” Veronica looked equal parts worried and hopeful.

“Crushed.”

Veronica winked. “So, couldn’t resist me, eh?” There’s the confident flirt Lexa missed. She laughed before getting on her tiptoes. Veronica leaned in. The kiss was finally going to hap—

“Are you for real!?!”

Lexa jumped a foot in the air. “Shoulda seen that coming,” Veronica muttered.

Poppy comes stomping back around the corner. “You chose her over me? I’m number one. She can’t beat me. All she does is follow me around like a lost puppy. I rule this school. She needs me. You two better watch out! I’m coming for the both of you now. There can only be one Queen.” Poppy was practically spitting.

Lexa grabbed Veronica’s hand. “Come on!” They ran into the crowd of students, leaving Poppy behind in a swirl of breathless giggles.

They came to a stop at the base of the Ferris wheel. It was a simple design compared to the rest of the carnival layout. Most people would probably think it a cheap trick on the designer’s part, but the simplicity allows for the spectators to have an extraordinary view of the night sky.

There was a short wait consisting of mostly other college couples, eager to spend a few moments alone together before the ride would have to say its farewell.

“Have you ever been on one before?”

Veronica shook her head. She was deeply absorbed in watching the rotating parts before her. Lexa in turn watched Veronica. Her eyes sparkled from the white lights on the wheel as they rotated slowly around and around. In this moment, she knew she made the right choice.

They stepped forward in line and entered into the next available cabin. Veronica made sure to sit extra close to Lexa. Forget personal space. It must be “Make Lexa Blush Day.” With a wink, the operator closed the latch, hit the switch and up they went.

Lexa awkwardly cleared her throat as they ascended. “So…”

“So…” Veronica turned away from people watching down below and arched a brow.

“Poppy is probably chucking your things out the window as we speak.”

Veronica snorted. “She wouldn’t dare. She has a short temper, but she’s clever. She’ll play the long game.”

“Well, maybe the best way to play is to not play at all.”

Veronica made to respond right as their car reached the top. It came to a halt. She gripped Lexa’s hand and eyes wide, began to panic.

“Why are we stopped? Are we stuck!? Oh no!”

Lexa doubled over in laughter. “Chill, V. It’s supposed to do this. Just look up.” She pointed up to the stars. They both tilted their heads back.

“Woah, it’s beautiful.” Veronica sighed. She was looking at Lexa now, smirking. “I wish I had my phone.”

With a small amount of maneuvering, Lexa reached into her back pocket. “Surprise.” She pulled out a familiar looking smartphone.

Veronica looked from Lexa, to the phone and back to Lexa. “How did you…? Doesn’t matter. Come here.” Veronica pulled Lexa close. Even closer than they already were, if that’s possible. She cupped both cheeks and finally, _finally_ kissed her.

She would do a relationship for this girl. She would do messy for her. She might actually do anything for her. It was like fireworks going off in the distance.

No, wait a minute, there actually were fireworks signaling the end of the carnival, but still.

Lexa kissed her back. And she tasted like cherries. And Veronica was so gentle. Flirty, confident Veronica was opening herself up bare. Then the kiss became more heated. Lexa wrapped her hands in Veronica’s locks.

Uh-oh.

They both looked down as the phone bounced off the arms of the Ferris wheel.

“Ow!!!”

Peering cautiously over the side, Lexa and Veronica saw Taylor rubbing her head on the bench below.

“Oops,” Lexa whispered. Then she shouted, “Sorry!”

“Looks like you owe her a coffee and me a new phone, among other things,” Veronica said seductively as she leaned into Lexa’s lap.

Veronica kissed her again. Lexa couldn’t help but break the kiss with a smile as they descended with the stars and whispers.

All hail Queen V.


End file.
